OFFICIAL SELECTION – Toronto International Film Festival 2016 – Vanguard

Just looking at the poster for Colossal, you know it’s different. Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis in a movie about monsters? Well, yes and no. There is a monster but it’s only part of the story. Watch the trailer above.

After seeing Colossal, I realized I hadn’t seen anything like it before and I was dying to talk to someone about it. It’s a blend of genres that is original and goes in directions that are unexpected yet completely make sense. Do yourself a favor, watch with other people.

Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.

The cast. Anne Hathaway is just likeable enough to accept her terrible behavior. It’s a really good blend. Jason Sudeikis stretches his acting muscles and shows how he can also work on the dark side. Tim Blake Nelson needs to be in more movies. Oh, and here’s Dan Stevens again. This guy is turning up everywhere lately.

I loved the blending of genres. It’s like four movies in one. You’ll be watching for a bit, then suddenly get the perspective of what happened in the scene before. Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy? Does that matter?

Have you heard of anything like this before? This does not follow any traditional plot lines. Who says Hollywood isn’t original anymore? Major kudos to writer/director Nacho Vigalondo. He set out to make an indie and it became Colossal.